Closure for front ends of locomotives



CLOSURE FOR FRONT ENDS-OF LOCONIOTKVES.

APPLlCATHlN FlLED 1ULY8,1920.

@muted Feb. 28, 1922.

Lomss.

u ,UNITED kS''AT--S PAT-ENT OFFICE.

cnfinnns Henrica, or sr. LOUIS, Mrssonni, Assiettes. on ONE-HALF rro JOHN n.

osnrnn, or s'r. Louis, Missouri?.

oLosnnn non lraoivfr mins or Locoiuo'rivns.

Application led July 8,

To all whom it may concern Be 1t known that l, CHARLES HAn'rnn, a

' citizen of the United States ol' America, a

resident of the city ot St. Louis, in the State ot Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Closures forFront Ends of Locomotives, oivhich the 'following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part or this specication.

Thisl invention relates to improvements in closures for front ends oit' locomotives, one oit the objects being to producev a simple 'and elicient means .whereby a locomotive front end door can be easilyand quickly forced onto and released from its seat at the trout ot the smoke box.

According to the standard practice which has been adopted and in general use prior to this invention, a. locomotive trent end is provided With an internal ring forminga seat ior the front end door`v andto secure' the door on its seat, a very large number ot' horizontal studs are screvvec. into this ring, the margin of the `door being accurately drilled to receive these studs. The door is -forced onto its seat by means o'lnnts applied to the numerous horizontal studs which project through the outer margin ot the door.

rlhe first cost of equipping a locomotive With these old standard devices is relatively higlnfor, the internal ring must be accurately drilled and threaded to receive the studs; the door also must be accurately drilled to receive thestudsfand the costol making the ystuds and nuts is a substantial item o-expense. ln addition to this, special door hinge must be employed tope'rmit operation o' the door which n moves in a straight line. at vthe horizontally extended studs. However, one ofjthemost important items of expenseinvolved in the .use otthese ordinary standard devices lies in the labor required to open and close'y the door. In closing the door, all of the numerous nuts must be carefully tightened on the studs, and all of these nuts must be removed to open the door. Furthermore, it ya stud isnot located in a horizontalpositio-n, or it it does not accurately register with the corresponding hole in the door, the screw threadfivill be mutilated by engagement with the door.

The -present invention includesy a simple clamping device whereby the door is yvery Specification of Letters Patent, Patented Feb. 28 1922.

1920. Serial No. 394,769.

iirmly forced onto its seat, and owing to the manner in Which the elements of the clampinoj device are associated With each other and combined with the door, have eliminated practically all of the labor ot opening and closing the door. To lirmly seat the door 1t is only necessary to actuate a simple operating device at the exterior of 'the door, and this operating device is preferably a Wheel to be turned in one directionto sea-'t the door and in the opposite direction to release the door. i

Fig. I is a section illustrating the front end ot a locomotiveequipped with my closure.

Fig. Il is a front elevation. the central operating rod being shown in section.

Fig. HI is an enlarged detail vienT illustra-ting a part of the clamping device Whereby the closure is forced onto its seat.

Fig; V is an enlarged section illustrating the operating members at the center of the closure. Y f

Fig. V is a fragmentary section ing` another torniv of the invention.

To illustrate the invention l have shown a locomotive front end comprisinga hori-` zontal cylindrical shell l,1 known as a smoke box, and having an internal ring secured in its outer margin.

The `trent end door A has a concave inner .tace and a. 4fiat margin 3 adapted to engage tlie'outer face of the/ring 2, the latter forni-V ing afseat for the door orrclosure. "Hinge members Il are secured tothe door so as to cooperate with hinge members l'secured to the shell il, anda vertical pintle 6 passes through tliesehinge members.- The door is thus supported by a hinge which 'al-lows it to swing into and out ot engagement with the ring 2, buttheihingeconnection is'loose enough lto. permit operation of a. separate and independent means for 'firmly forcing the door onto its seat.

The clamping-'device shoWnin Figs-I, :Il:

and AHI comprises longllevers B arrangedv radially to thefdoor and provided at their outer ends with clampingjraivs -2' in thefform of hooksadapted to engage `the inner 'ta-oe ofV ring 2. Pivot pins 8 passV through slots 9 in the levers B, said pins being mounted in lngs itl-extending from the concave inner face o'j the door near the outer margin thereof. Each lever B is thus fulcrumed near the outer edge of the door, and a long lever arm extends from the fulcrum point to a point near the center of the door, while the lever arm formed by the clamping jaw 7 is rela, tively short.

A horizontal Operating rod 11, extending through the center of the door, is provided with an enlarged threaded portion 12 mountL ed in a threaded bushing` 13 seated in thev outer face of this wheel to receive the loco-` motive number which usually appears on a circular plate at the center of the door.

A non-rotary thrust device C is :mounted between abutments 19 and 2O on the rotary operating rod 11, said thrust device comprising a circular member 21 engaging the abutments 1S) and 2O and provided with sockets 22 at its outer margin to receive the rounded ends 23 of the clamping levers D. A

retaining ring 2st is secured to the memberV 21 by means of bolts 25 to retain the rounded ends in the sockets 22. r1`he thrust device C is thus pivotally interlocked with all of the clamping levers B.

By merely turning the operating wheel 17 at the exterior of the door, a rotary movement will be imparted to the screw threaded operating rod 11, and said rod will also move horizontally to impart a horizontal movement to the non-rotary thrust device C, which lies inside of the door. 1n response to m vements of this kind, all of the clamping levers B willmove on their pivots 8. To force the door onto its annular seat, the

thrust device C is moved away from the inner faceof the door, thereby actuating levers B to force the rounded ends of the clamping jaws 7 onto `the inner face of ring 2, and this is accomplished by merely turning the operating ,wheel `1'( in one direction. To release the door, the operating wheel is turned in the opposite direction, so as to move the clamping jaws 7 toward` the center ofthe ring 2, thereby permitting said jaws to pass through the ring. ln unlocking the door,f the operating rod 11 isturned a few revolutions to release its Vthreaded portion 12 from thefthreadedV bushing 13, and thereafter the 'unthreaded por-tion of said rod may be pulled into the bushing to quickly release. -the clamping jaws from. the ring.

After the door hasY been firmly seated on the ring 2, the operating mechanism and the clampingI jaws7 may be locked by means of a threaded ring 26 mounted on the threads 12 and engaging the outer face of the door to serve as a` jam nut. A handle 27 eX- tends from the ring 26.,

The rounded ends 23 of levers B are interlocked with the thrust device so as to travel therewith in straight horizontal lines, and the levers are therefore slotted at 9 to receive the pivots 8. The slots 9 permit oper-- ation of the levers in response to a horizontal movement of the thrust device with which the levers are interlocked.

In Fig. V the threaded @operating rod 11 is provided with a horizontally movable thrust device C having sockets 22 in which the rounded ends of links B are secured, thc outer ends of said links boing pivoted to clamping jaws 7 in the form of levers pivoted at 8 to the door A. The links B and levers 7 arearranged radially to the door A, and in response to longitudinal movements of saidl links the levers 7 will move toward and away from the center of the door. `Each link B is preferably made of two adjustablesections having lapping portions 30 which interlock with each other to provide an adjustable connection. Bolts 31 connect the lapping portionsBO.

1t will be readily understood that in either'form of the invention the clamping j aws can be easily and quickly operated to seat or unseat the door, and a very desirable leverage caribe obtained `by transmitting motion to the clampingjaws, as herein shown and described;

I claim.: 1. A locomotive front end comprising a lcylindrical shell provided with a ring at its outer end7 the outer face of said "ring being provided with an annular closure seat, a front end4 door adapted to vengage said closure seat7 a hinge adapted to support said door in its open position, clamping jaws in the form'of levers pivotally securedV to the inner sideof said door and adapted to engage the inner faceY of said ring, operating means extending through ysaid door, said operating means including a manually actu# ated operating member at the outer side of the door, and a thrust device whereby motion is transmitted from said operating means to said clamping jaws.

2.1141v locomotive front end comprising a cylindrical shell,'a ring secured in the end of said shell, t-he outer face of said ring being provided with anannular closure seat, a frontend door adapted to engage said closure seat, a hinge connecting said door to saidshell,zclamping jaws pivotally connectedto the inner side of said door,-andv adapted to engage the innerfacel of said ring,` an operating screw extending through the center of said door, said operating screw, being movable transversely of the door, and means whereby motion is transmitted from said operating screw to said'clamping jaws.

3. A locomotive front end comprising a horizontal cylindrical shell, a ring secured in the outer end of said shelhthe outer face of said ring being` provided with an annular closure seat, a front end door having a concave inner iiace and a flat marginalportion adapted to engage said annularclosure seat, a hinge connecting said door to said horizontal cylindrical shell, the axis of said hinge being vertical, lugs extending from the inner face of said door, clamping jaws in the `form of levers pivoted to said lugs and adapted to engage the inner face of said ring, said levers being radial to said ring and shell, a central thrust device pivotally connected to said levers, a central' operating screw rotatably mounted in said thrust device and extending through the center ot said door said thrust device being movable horizontally in response to horizontal movements of said operating screw, an operating member secured to said screw and located at the exterior of said shell, and means `lor locking said screw to secure said levers in their operative positions.

t. A locomotive front end comprising a horizontal cylindrical shell, a ring secured to the outer end of said shell, the outer face of said ring being provided with an annular closure seat, a front end door adapted to engage said closure seat, a hinge connecting said door to said horizontal cylindrical shell, the axis of said hinge being vertical, clamping jaws in the form of levers pivotally secured to the inner side of said door and adapted to engage the inner face of said ring to torce the door onto said seat, said clamping jaws being movable toward the axis of said ring to permit movement of the door. on its hinge, an operating member at the exterior of said door, and means whereby motion is transmitted from said operating member to said clamping jaws.

5. A locomotive front end comprising a horizont-al cylindrical shell, a ring secured inside of the outer end of said shell, the outer face of said yring being provided with an annular closure seat, a front end door adapted to engage said closure seat, a hinge connecting said door to said horizontal cylindrical shell, the axis of said hinge being vertical, clamping jaws in the form of levers pivotally secured to the inner side of saidV door and adapted to engage the inner face of said ring to force the door onto said seat, said clamping jaws being movable toward the axis of said ring to permit movement of the door on its hinge, an operating member at the exterior let said door, and means whereby motion is transmitted from said operating member to said clamping jaws, said means comprising a rotary rscrew passing through said door, Va non-rotary thrust device located inside of said door and mounted on said screw so as to move horizontally in response to rotary movements of the screw, andk means whereby said thrust device is connected to all of said clamping jaws.

6. A locomotive front end comprising a cylindrical shell provided with abutments and a closure seat at its outer end, a front end door adapted to engage said closure seat, a hinge adapted to support said door 

